As a small-business owner, do you feel like your online presence is out of control? Are negative reviews piling and risking your company’s reputation? If so, you need an online reputation manager that can provide customer service and social media marketing for your brand.
If you have never looked for a reputation management service before, know how to find the marketing agencies and PR firms that are right for you. Follow this guide to find a company that you can build a lasting partnership with.
Look for a comprehensive service provider.
Some reputation management companies focus on one specific aspect of helping customers. For example, they will focus on online reviews and addressing negative comments on new reviews. While your current Yelp profile and online presence might be your current concern, think about your digital footprint as a whole. What do your social media pages look like? How are your search engine optimization (SEO) rankings?
You may want to seek a professional digital marketing agency that is used to develop comprehensive campaigns for reputation management. The best reputation management agencies will have an in-depth knowledge of different aspects of the internet and will take steps to protect your brand in various ways. This will make your reputation management efforts more effective and help you build a strong relationship with a marketing provider.
Identify opportunities for professional growth.
Oftentimes, companies seek out online reputation management agencies because they are upset about specific Yelp reviews or public relations issues. However, these problems only relate to the short term. Once the social media issues that your small business faces are resolved, what will you do to promote your brand?
Instead of just seeking out a reputation management company, looking for a digital marketing provider can help you grow. These teams can develop content marketing plans and pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns to help you reach new audiences and win customers. It’s time to stop running from negative reviews and start using your blog and web presence to gain positive ones.
Find a company that works with brands of your size.
Get a feel for the other brands and industries that your reputation management company works with. If you hire one reputation manager, will you be the biggest client they have? If so, the company might not have the resources you need or the capacity you expect to run effective public relations and social media marketing campaigns. Conversely, if you are a small business alongside a client-base of major enterprises, your brand might not get the time and attention it deserves.
As you meet with different reputation management services, ask about the average client size and resources allocated. This will allow you to find the perfect firm to meet your online marketing needs.
Ask for analytics reports and benchmarks for success.
What sort of metrics will your ideal reputation management company use to determine if they are doing a good job? Will they send regular reports to your team, or is there an interactive dashboard you can use to review the data? These are all questions you should ask as you consider different teas and their proposals. If they don’t create a good customer experience for you, you won’t see the results you want.
If you aren’t sure how to ask about analytics, ask to see case studies and sample reports from other clients – even a template can give you an idea of what to expect. You need to know how your reputation manager quantifies success to see if their beliefs align with yours.
Your reputation is on the line with each negative review or ignored comment related to your brand. Find a reputation management service that can help you improve your digital footprint.
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